DAVID Moores' reign at the helm of Liverpool Football Club has not been a particularly happy one.

DAVID Moores' reign at the helm of Liverpool Football Club has not been a particularly happy one.

Since succeeding Noel White in 1991, he has seen his beloved Reds suffer a downturn in fortunes on the pitch.

Always a fan first, Moores famously followed the teams of Shankly and Paisley from the stands as they swept all before them in the 1970s and 80s.

He travelled to the UEFA Cup final in Bruges only to lose his passport and wallet. Reds fans had a whip-round to ensure he returned home to Merseyside, not knowing his fortune far exceeded their own.

But since taking up his position at the head of the club, Moores, who drives a car with the number plate KOP 1, has watched with growing sadness and frustration as the club has slipped behind the likes of Manchester United both on and off the pitch.

Moores took over from White after just two years on the board, amassing a 51 per cent stake. It came during great period of transition following Kenny Dalglish's shock departure as manager earlier that year.

His arrival brought hope that as a member of the influential Moores dynasty he would bring substantial investment with him.

However, that has not been matched by success on the pitch. The League title remains as elusive as ever and the only silverware Moores has been able to celebrate has been in the cups.

The Moores family are no longer quite the financial force they once were, having sold the Littlewoods foot-ball pools and retail businesses.

However, the 57-year-old Liverpool chairman's love for the Reds is as strong as ever and he received a not insubstantial £35.9m from his stake in the family firm when the Barclay brothers took over Littlewoods in November 2002.

He has never shirked away from providing considerable transfer funds for the three Liverpool managers under his charge and has never looked to seek the limelight.

Moores has opened the possibility for others to purchase shares in the past and diluted his own shareholding to allow Granada to take a 9.9 per cent stake in the club.